It is well known that certain selected alcohols have some physiological activity. It is known, for example, that 1-triacontanol stimulates the growth of plants, see, e.g. Ries, Stanley K. and Sweeney, Charles C., U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,970. Interestingly, the C-30 alcohol triacontanol appears to possess this physiological activity, and the C-28 and C-32 do not possess such physiological activity, or at least have very much less physiological activity in plant growth, see, e.g., the patents and publications of Ries et al., ibid, and of Ashmead, Harvey H., Weleber, Andrew J., Laughlin, Robert G., Nickey, Donald O. and Parker, Dane. K, and Ohorogge, Alvin J.
Triacontanol has also been reported to accelerate the decomposition of sewage and reduce H.sub.2 S, Starr, Jerry, U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,100.
Beeswax comprises, inter alia, esters of long-chain aliphatic alcohols having chain lengths in the area of interest, and it is known to obtain such alcohols by hydrolysis of beeswax. Beeswax has been used since antiquity in a great variety of cosmetic and therapeutic applications, as a base for lipstick, in lotions and creams, as an emollient and as a constituent in therapeutic products for topical and membrane application. Various constituents of beeswax and products derived from beeswax have also been used in cosmetic and therapeutic applications. For example, Slimak, Karen M., U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,991, describes a hypoallergenic cosmetic comprising single plant source beeswax. Gans, Eugen, Nacht, Sergio and Yeung, David have described the use of the non-polar saturated straight chain C-21 to C-33 hydrocarbon fraction of beeswax in the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders, U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,667.
The mechanism of the rather diverse and unpredictable physiological effects of the various alcohols are, at best, poorly understood, and studies are not generally definitive. There appears to some interaction of certain n-alkanols with lipid bilayer membranes, Westerman, P. W., Pope, J. M., Phonphok, N., Dan, J. W., Dubro, D. W., Biochim Biophys Acta(NETHERLANDS) 939, 64-78 (1988), and studies have been conducted respecting the partitioning of long-chain alcohols into lipid bilayers, Franks N. P. and Lieb W. R., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83 5116-20 (1986); cholesterol solubility of n-alkanols, Pal S. and Moulik S. P., Indian J Biochem Biophys 24-8 (1987); neurological effects of certain long-chain alcohols, Natarajan V. and Schmid H. H., Lipids 12 128-30 (1977); Snider S. R., Ann Neurol 16 723 (1984); Borg J., Toazara J., Hietter H., Henry M., Schmitt G., Luu B., FEBS Lett 213 406-10 (1987).
Levin, Ezra reported that tetracosanol, hexacosanol, octacosanol and triacontanol and their esters improved physical performance of athletes and disclosed compositions comprising such alcohols and esters in vegetable oil bases for oral ingestion, U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,376.
An incidental disclosure of a composition intended for topical application comprising a major portion liquified gaseous propellant and a minor portion of a mixture of C-12 to C-30 fatty alcohols which were used simply to mark the areas of application of the aerosol is contained in U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,115 to Gebhart.
Clark, U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,471 discloses the use of triacontanol, in a suitable carrier, as a treatment for inflammatory disorders such as herpes simplex, eczema, shingles, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, etc. Clark performed experiments with the compositions of the type disclosed by Gebhart, U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,115 comprising an aerosol and a mixture of triacontanol and palmitic acid, which Clark indicates to be as effective as pure triacontanol, and concluded that the aerosol carrier destroyed the effect of triacontanol and that a hydrophilic carrier for triacontanol was necessary to achieve the desired anti-inflammatory effect. There is some reason to believe that Clark's composition was simply saponified beeswax which would contain triacontanol and palmitic acid, as Clark indicates, but which would also contain, as substantial constituents, hexacosanolic acid and various hydrocarbons. Results gas chromatographic-mass spectrum analysis of various compositions believed to have been used by Clark were not definitive, but suggested that at least some such compositions were very complex mixtures, some of which may be lower alkanes, esters, acids or alcohols. Whether or not these were found by Clark to be effective anti-inflammatory compositions is not known. McKeough, Mark and Spruance, S. L. evaluated the efficacy of 5% triacontanol in a branch chain ester base in the treatment of HSV-1 dorsal cutaneous infection in guinea pigs and concluded that the active ingredient in triacontanol is the long chain hydrocarbon (unpublished report in the file of U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,471).
Revici, Emanuel, Sherwood, Bob E., Benecke, Herman P., Rice, John M., and Geisler, Richard W., U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,008, disclose a method of inactivating enveloped virus using C-20 to C-24 polyunsaturated acids, aldehydes or alcohols having 5-7 double bonds, and references disclosures by Sands et al. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 15, 67-73 (1979) (antiviral activity of C-14 to C-20 unsaturated alcohols having 1-4 double bonds), Snipes et al., Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 11, 98-104 (1977) (C-20 tetraenyl alcohol having low activity) and Symp. Pharm. Effects Lipids (AOCS Monograph N.5) 63-74 (1978) (suggesting lower antiviral activity for saturated long-chain alcohols).
Katz, Martin and Neiman, Herbert M, U.S. Pat. No. 3,592,930, disclose a medicant vehicle containing from 15 to 45 parts of saturated fatty alcohol from 16 to 24 carbons, along with glycol solvent, plasticizer, penetrant and adjuvant which is used as a carrier for antibiotics, steroids, antihistamines, etc. Ryde, Emma Marta and Ekstedt, Jan Erik, U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,633, disclose a composition for topical treatment of the eye which comprises a lipophilic substance, a hydrophilic swellable polymer and from 10 to 80% C-12 to C-22 surface active alcohols such as 1-docosanol, 1-hexadecanol, 1-octadecanol and 1-eicosanol which serve as a stabilizer for the mixture.
The content of the prior art and the corresponding skill of the art, relative to topically administered compositions, may be summarized as follows: short-chain alcohols, i.e. under about 16 carbons, tend to be irritants while longer chain alcohols, particularly the aliphatic alcohols tend to be non-irritating (Katz et al., supra). 1-Triacontanol, a 30-carbon unsaturated aliphatic alcohol, in a suitable hydrophilic carrier has (or, may have, depending upon the precise compositions used by Clark) value in treating inflammatory conditions of the skin (Clark, supra). Shorter chain C-10 to C-14 aliphatic alcohols demonstrate low level in vitro virucidal characteristics, while C-18 alcohols show no discernable virucidal activity in vitro (Snipes, supra). Polyunsaturated C-20 to C-24 alcohols inactive enveloped virus (Revici et al., supra). C-16 to C-24 aliphatic alcohols are useful as stabilizers in carrier compositions for drugs having diverse physiological activity.
Respecting aliphatic alcohols, one would predict from the studies of Snipes and Clark that, in the continuum of aliphatic alcohols from C-10 to C-30 virucidal activity, at a very low level, may appear (if in vitro studies may be used to predict in vivo results) in C-10 to C-14 alcohols (which would also be irritants as reported by Katz), that virucidal activity dissapears in the C-16 to C-28 range and then appears uniquely (if Clark's compositions were pure triacontanol or mixtures of triacontanol with palmitic acid as he indicates) with the C-30 alcohol 1-triacontanol, which has been shown to have unique physiological effects in plant treatment.
Even considering the possible ambiguity of Clark's compositions, one would not predict any significant virucidal activity for aliphatic alcohols in the C-20 through C-28 chain length.
Notwithstanding the negative teachings of the prior art, the inventor has previously discovered that a composition, in which the active constitute consists essentially of C-20 to C-26, and preferably C-22 to C-26 aliphatic alcohols, e.g. docosanol, tetracosanol and hexacosanol, is an effecting topical anti-inflammatory, (see the present inventor's co-pending patent application Ser. No. 07/345,084, filed Apr. 24, 1989, INFLAMMATORY DISEASE TREATMENT, to which priority is claimed to the extent of the disclosure therein), and has now determined that this class of compounds may be used, in suitable carrier compositions, in the systemic treatment of virus-induced disease and in the prevention or inhibition of infection by disease-causing virus.